A 40-something Western Canadian who still thinks he's 24. Dreamer, thinker, photographer, traveler, entrepreneur, software developer. Adores women immensely but is still working hard at trying to understand them! :-)

This is my personal blog and primarily focuses on my photography & videography.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Here's an editorial written by my Philadelphia friend and published in the Philadelphia Enquirer. You can read more of her thoughts on her Midnight Blue blog.

For change that counts, it's tea party time

Guest Opinion

By Tania Ciolko

"Here, sir, the people govern, here they act by their immediate representatives."

Can we say that the words spoken centuries ago by Alexander Hamilton ring true in America today?

Prominent pollster Kellyanne Conway noted voters meant it when they voted for change this past election cycle. She further points out the voters themselves did not want to be change makers, instead delegating that responsibility to Barack Obama. Who can forget the iconic video of Peggy Joseph tearfully proclaiming that voting for Obama meant she would not have to work to pay her mortgage or gas bill?

An important lesson learned from the recent presidential election is that your vote has consequences. Whose vision of change included a $7.5 trillion spending spree that will financially burden our children and grandchildren? I strongly suspect the voters' idea of change did not encompass a commander-in-chief of GM's used car division.

These voters are now waking up to the cold reality of reckless spending, increased taxation and rewarding of unsound financial behavior by our immediate representatives.

In February, CNBC's Rick Santelli sounded the call for a Tea Party, and ordinary citizens responded by organizing tea parties across the nation. The "tea" being tossed around the country today is an acronym for "Taxed Enough Already."

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Tea Party in West Chester organized by the Pro Troop organization, American Sheepdogs. The event brought together nearly 400 citizens troubled by the irresponsible spending and the specter of oppressive taxation. The people I spoke with expressed a betrayal of their trust by Congress and a renewed sense of activism.

One woman admitted this was the first rally she has ever attended, and she was grateful to have the opportunity to express her concerns at a Tea Party. A pair of toddlers held signs that stated, "We are only 2 and 4 years old and we owe China $80,000 - Thanks to Congress."

The crowd was populated with everyday citizens who pay their taxes, bills and mortgages on time. They are not ones to frequent rallies of this kind, yet several hundred of them put down their silence and picked up a sign at the Tea Party in West Chester.

A talented DJ named Kalaya spun uplifting, patriotic music to entertain the crowd as they milled around with their homemade signs and American flags. A high point of the Tea Party featured speeches by local political officials and an impromptu speech by a passer-by named Alek.

State Rep. Curt Schroder, a Republican, spoke passionately on the bailout fiasco and the chill wind of an Employee Free Choice Act attack on the secret ballot.

U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts, a Republican, detailed the reckless spending spree in Congress while ordinary Americans are tightening their own budgets. Alek had much to discuss regarding the devilish details of socialism. All in all, it was a well run event that was inspiring and cathartic to those who attended.

As the consequences of our November vote hits home, Americans are rediscovering their ownership of this nation.

According to the Tax Day Tea Party Web site, there were more than 500 confirmed Tea Parties set for April 15. If you have the opportunity to attend one in the future, please do so and be witness to a grass-roots movement that is sweeping the nation.

With any luck, one fine day I hope to say: "Here, sir, the people govern."

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About Moi

"Pelalusa" is a glorious Spanish-sounding word that means ... well ... absolutely nothing! The word doesn't actually exist. But it sure sounds like it means something!!
While living in Mexico City in 1996/97 I would often ask my friends the meaning of this word and that. One day I asked what "pelalusa" meant, for it just 'sounded' like a word that would mean something en Español. But alas, it does not.

What's With The Ads?

I've launched a new website called Pelalusa.com. Eventually it'll become a fully fledged social networking site but for now it's just a fun travel site, showcasing my journeys and photography. I hope you enjoy it and I always welcome suggestions to improve it.

This new site will be advertising sponsored. What's different about it though is that 50% of the profits (eventually increasing towards 100%) will be donated to philanthropic efforts such as BC Digital Divide. It'll be a global effort, with a particular focus on technology and education.

So I decided to also allow the ads on here too. Please know that I have no control over their content. If some ad does catch your interest, at least you know where the money will be going.

Day & Night

Favourite Quotes

When I was around 12 years old I wrote the following: "Too many get caught up in the noise of everyday life to hear the symphony of what life is really all about."

"The bigger the government grows, the smaller the individual becomes." -- Dennis Prager

"When you take away a person's need to provide for themselves, you take away their humanity." -- Damon Rexroad

"Life is a gift, not an obligation. So make the very best of every single day you're given!" - Donovan Campbell

"The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money to spend." -- Margaret Thatcher

"You and I are told we must choose between a left or right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man's age-old dream-the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits." -- Ronald Reagan

Archive.org

If you'd like to see an amazing site that is full of old commercials, radio programs, and a host of other fascinating memorabilia then click here.

The Cluetrain Manifesto

The Internet is causing an amazing transition to occur about how individuals interact with the companies that they buy from and work for. Most companies are still in denial about even the presence of this change, much to their own peril.
Shown here are the 95 Theses' of the Cluetrain Manifesto:

Smile Time

Multimedia

I've collected together a number of my best flower photos. Each of them has more than sufficient resolution for printing, even as an enlargement. You can download a 46MB Zip file containing many photos by clicking on this image: